Never Tear Us Apart
by Cashmeritan
Summary: A series of heart-fluttering and downright dirty events makes Sakura realize that the platonic bond between her and her ex-sensei isn't quite so innocent anymore. KakaSaku
1. The Painful Beginning

**a/N: All right, so I was bored and randomly decided to write some KakaSaku fluff... I edited the summary, and all credit goes to Kagomaru! :D This first chapter may be simple, but I promise things will become quite epic as they move along. xP  
**

**ENJOY!  
**

_Summary: Who could have known that a new pair of shoes would change everything between them?_

**Chapter 1: OMG SHOES!**

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Sakura's workday had hardly begun and yet her feet were already throbbing with a crippling pain. As she made her way down the village clinic's hallways, she silently cursed herself for wearing those heels to work that day, despite how much more confident they made her feel.

Nowadays, it was rare for her to wear anything aside from her medicnin uniform and a pair of white flats, something that Ino found absolutely detestable. She had insisted on taking Sakura shopping the night before, stating that if Sakura ever hoped of finding a good husband, she'd have to play up appearance a bit.

"I mean, you're a nurse...Some guys find that look really sexy," Ino had tried pointing out as they passed a row of boutiques.

"Oh, please," Sakura groaned. "Here you are, trying to get me to find a guy - and then you try and get me to acknowledge the weird ones."

"Well hey," Ino shrugged. "As long as you get laid, I don't really care." She leaned down and flicked Sakura's forehead teasingly. "Because you definitely need to."

Sakura grumbled, but as they passed one store in particular, she had found herself lingering in front of the display window. A sleek pair of heels rested on top of a display table in the window. They were black with little bows on the sides, and the heels were about an inch and a half off the ground.

Ino noticed that Sakura wasn't keeping up with her, and turned around and joined her friend. "Ooooh, cute shoes..." she mused.

"Hn."

"Are you going to get them? They'd look good with your uniform..." Ino said.

Sakura mulled over it for a moment, and then sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine...I'll get them...At least I'd have another pair of shoes to wear if a special occasion ever arises."

"THAT'S the right attitude!" Ino applauded her. "That's what I tell myself _every time_ I get a new pair of shoes...I think this one will be my, like, 90th pair." She held up a small shopping bag.

Sakura hurried into the boutique, paid for the shoes, and beamed as she exited the store.

And now, the next day, she was regretting she had ever gotten them. She limped over to the front desk of the clinic, her face contorted in pain.

The receptionist Hana stared at her blankly. "Are...are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, whatever." Sakura groaned. "What's next on my schedule this afternoon?"

Hana handed her a sheet of paper. "Here, so you don't have to keep straining yourself to walk over here and check. Just keep it with you from now on."

Sakura muttered a thanks and limped off, reading her schedule. Hmm...Only 2 more appointments, after 1 cancellation, and she'd be out of here. The next appointment was in about 15 minutes, so she'd have time to grab a quick bagel lunch and --

With her mind so preoccupied, she didn't notice until it was too late that she had collided into something tall and hard. A wall?

No, it couldn't have been a wall. Walls don't trip over you and land on top of you, Sakura found.

"Why, Sakura-chan," came a pleasant, amused voice. "How nice to see you down there."

Sakura jerked. "S-Sensei!?" She then realized that her schedule was lying over her face, denying her any view of the person or thing that was holding her down.

The paper was removed from her face, and there he was - Hatake Kakashi. Straddling her. How decent.

Sakura struggled violently, feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks. "Why are you still on top of me?!" she demanded.

Kakashi slowly rose off of her, and she could tell he was smirking behind that mask of his. "My apologies, I was merely in shock."

Sakura reached up and gripped a nearby chair in order to lift herself from the floor, wincing. "Ughh...Way to go...Why don't you watch where you're walking!?"

"I could ask the same of you," he pointed out, still clutching her schedule.

She scowled and stepped forward to try and snatch it from his hands, only to slip on something and begin to fall forward. Kakashi caught her, and rolled his eyes.

"Are you fit to even be working today? You can hardly stand."

Sakura peered down beneath her feet, and saw a now crushed copy of Icha Icha Violence on the floor. She sighed, and picked it up, offering it to her ex-sensei.

"Ah, there it went," he said pleasantly. He tried to smooth some of the creases out against his chest, and then stuffed it into his back pocket.

"You have absolutely no shame, do you?" Sakura asked him wearily.

"Ehh. Anyway. I gotta go, I have an appointment in a few minutes," Kakashi said. "So I guess I'll just see you some other time?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe we can have a mini Team 7 reunion," Sakura replied thoughtfully. "All right, see you around." She slowly limped off in the other direction.

About 10 minutes later, she was trying to hobble as quickly as possible down the same hallway towards her appointment. "Shit, shit, shit, that bagel was good but SHITTT, now I'm late..." She reached the door, and knocked lightly.

"I'm decent," came a voice. Sakura's brow furrowed. No...that would be too coincidental... She pulled the door open and sure enough, there was Kakashi, sitting unceremoniously on top of the examination table.

"Again?" he asked, eyes smirking. "Twice in one day - this must be fate."

Sakura flushed, and shut the door behind herself. "So...erm, let's make this as quick as possible. What are you here for?"

Kakashi folded his legs pretzel-style, and yawned. "Ehh. I had a bad cough a couple days ago, and Iruka forced me to get it checked out so he would know for sure that I'm not 'spraying him with my contagious germs' every time I cough around him."

Sakura's eyebrows rose. "All right, then. Put your legs down, and take off your vest, please." She washed her hands quickly, and withdrew her stethoscope from her uniform pocket.

Kakashi emerged from beneath his vest, and tossed the garment to the side. He ruffled his hair, which was disheveled from removing his vest, and asked hesitantly, "Do I..have to remove my mask?"

She lifted the edge of his shirt. "It'd be a good idea so I could check your throat...Now breathe."

He took in a deep breath, then exhaled it quickly. "Fine..."

After checking the sounds of his lungs from all angles, Sakura pulled away, and removed the stethoscope. "All right, mask down. Your lungs sound pretty clear."

Kakashi made a noise of discontentment, but reluctantly tugged down the fabric of his mask, millimeter by millimeter. Sakura found herself holding her breath in anticipation, and mentally slapped herself.

"Please," she told him. "I don't have all day."

He groaned, and yanked it down the rest of the way.

And Sakura couldn't stop herself from staring. Perhaps half of it was the fact that she had never seen her ex-sensei mask-less before, but the fact that he was so fucking handsome had to have had a huge role in her mindless gaping as well. For the first time, she saw his lips curl upwards into a sly smirk.

"I thought you said you didn't have all day," he said mockingly.

She cleared her throat and attempted to regain her composure, but the task was unthinkably hard. All she wanted to do was plant herself right there all day and just stare at him. His perfectly straight nose, his pale and lean lips, and those two handsome dimples in his cheeks... She shook her head briefly to try and get another image in her mind. Something nice - like a mewing kittycat. Yes, that'd be perfect. She bit her lip, and pulled out a tongue depressor.

"Can you open your mouth and say 'ahh' for me?" she requested.

"Sure, why not." He opened his mouth, and she slid the tongue depresser in, and peered in with a mini flashlight.

"Hm. No redness or sign of anything out of the ordinary." She pulled the depresser out and tossed it in the garbage. "You seem perfectly healthy, really. It says the nurse who was in here before checked your temperature and it read normal...so I guess whatever sort of cough you had must have gone away and not been anything big."

"Hm. That's a relief. I was worried you'd prescribe me something vile to take," Kakashi said, making a face.

Sakura shook her head, and washed her hands again. "By the way...you can put your mask back on."

"Way ahead of you." She turned around and saw that, within those few seconds, he had managed to get both his mask and vest on again.

"So..." Kakashi hopped down from the table. "You mentioned a mini reunion, are you still interested in that or have you had enough of me from today?"

"As long as it doesn't involve me paying for everything, then I don't see why not," she replied as she dried her hands off.

"Hn. All right, perhaps Naruto and I will stop by at your place this week." There was a long bout of silence as he looked her over, and pointed at her shoes.

"Those look painful, to say the least. I never pegged you as a fancy footwear sort of woman."

"I'm not," Sakura said with a groan. "And these shoes are absolutely _killing_ me."

"Well, they look good on you," he commented with a shrug. After a small pause, he added, "Perhaps you should wear them more often." He lingered for a moment, winked at her, and then left the room.

"...Bye!" Sakura called after him, her voice giving out. Her heart was...fluttering. And she was fairly sure there was a suspicious heat resonating from her cheeks. She slapped her forehead.

Then again, being complimented by a handsome man...no matter if he was her ex-sensei or not, it made her feel a little bit...giddy. The weariness that she had dragged with each step in these painful shoes felt a bit lifted, and she gazed down at her shoes adoringly. Perhaps it _wasn't_ a mistake getting them...

She hurried out of the room and down the hall to enter her next appointment, noticing a slight bounce in her step.

----

END OF CHAPTER ONE...errr something. I will probably continue this with a chapter 2 but...I just wanna know what you all think about it, sooo... Please review!! Even if it's just a quick thing, or even if it's just a little 'hi' message, I just want to hear from you guys. I wanna know how many of you read it and liked it. Plus, I may base whether or not I continue this on if anyone reviews. So!

If you liked it, and would like to see more, please let me know! It won't kill you. xDD


	2. The Benefits of the Nightlife

**A/n: Hey guys. thanks for all the reviews! they really encouraged me while i wrote this chapter...I'm a bit self-conscious about it because I think it's a bit choppy and rushed, but I hope you guys like it. :3**

**all i can say is that it's going to start getting good from this chapter on. :P yay, kakasaku!**

**PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU WANT MOARRR!  
**

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**chapter 2**

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Unfortunately for Sakura, her hopes for getting out of work early were dashed when another medicnin went home sick. Sakura, the ever diligent medicnin, stood in for her and took on all of her remaining appointments. Thankfully, they weren't too intensive, but she found that when she finally stepped outside of the clinic it was nearing 7:00pm. She groaned, cursing her shoes doubly, and dragged her feet as she headed home.

---

She woke the next morning, her day off, to someone banging rather violently on her front door. She groaned, rubbing her face into her pillow and trying to wish the unwanted visitor away, but the knocking refused to cease. She slipped out of bed, partially limping as she made her way to the front door. She opened it to find a beaming Naruto in front of her.

"Heheheheh... did I wake you up?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yes," Sakura replied flatly. She was sure that it was quite obvious - her disheveled hair, her bunny pajamas, and quite possibly the embittered scowl she was wearing.

Naruto bit his lip. "Sorry... It's just that Sensei told me stop by, he wants to hang out tonight and--"

"But...it's barely the afternoon," Sakura pointed out grumpily.

"Yeah, so? I figured we could spend the whole day together..You know, since we never see each other and stuff." He shifted his weight in manner that seemed almost nervous. "I miss you, Sakura-chan." His aquamarine eyes glanced up at her, and shone with a smile.

"Well, you have a point," Sakura murmured. "Okay, give me 20 minutes and I'll be out."

Naruto's face brightened, and he saluted mockingly. "YES, MA'AM."

Sakura hastily shut the door and returned to her bedroom to slip on one of her off-duty outfits. It consisted of a short pink skirt with red polka dots, and a red halter top. She slipped into a pair of sandals, grabbed her purse, and stepped out onto the front steps where Naruto was waiting.

"That was surprisingly fast," Naruto remarked in surprise. "Dude, Hinata takes like, _forever_ to get ready. And she always looks the same regardless!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "So, where to?"

"To wake up Kakashi-sensei!" He declared, punching the air enthusiastically. He led her off towards the copynin's small apartment building, smirking.

They had to climb 2 flights of stairs in order to reach Kakashi's room, and when they reached the top, Naruto was huffing and puffing as if the labor had been excruciating. "Why does he always have to make things so difficult?!" he grumbled.

Sakura chuckled, and they both took turns throwing in 2 knocks each on his door. When no one came, Naruto began striking the door with more fervor.

"YOOOO, KAKASHI-SENSEI! IT'S ME AND SAKURA-CHANNNN...WE'RE HERE TO KIDNAP YOU!" he called, hoping their infamously lazy ex-sensei would hear.

When there still came no answer, Naruto turned away from the door, shoulders slumped. "He owes me money, too..." he mumbled. "Lazy bastard pervert."

"Such cruel things to say, Naruto," came an amused voice from down the hall. It was Kakashi, towelling his silver tufts of hair dry, and despite wearing his mask it was quite evident he was smiling smugly. He was wearing a pair of striped pajama pants, but his upper half was completely bare save the towel draped over his shoulders as he made his way leisurely down the hall. The sight of his chiseled torso made Sakura's stomach flutter.

Naruto jumped, whirled around, and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You! We banged and banged on your door, and _you_ didn't come and-and-and...you were...Well, what _WERE_ you doing? Showering? Sexually-harassing an innocent girl?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, and strode closer. "Unfortunately, no. Now what's the reason behind this delightful surprise visit?" he asked, scanning both of their faces expectantly.

"It's our mini-reunion," Sakura stated matter-of-factly, and stuck out her tongue. "And you get to pay."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but to let his eyes fall on her protruding bosom. Perhaps it was the shirt, but they sure looked bigger...He shook his head, and toweled his hair a bit rougher than before. "Oh, do I? Hmm, then you two may be out of luck.."

Naruto flinched, ready to bitch him out. "Oh, come on! You creepy old man!"

Sakura had to pull her eyes away from Kakashi's chiseled chest, decorated with fine pink scars. Why did _her_ sensei have to be so handsome? Why couldn't she have had Gai-sensei or something?

"Fine, fine." Kakashi unlocked his apartment door and tossed his towels inside. "Let me get a decent outfit on, and I'll treat you two to your hearts' content." Naruto smirked in accomplishment.

"Mwahaha, we've finally roped him in!" Naruto punched the air in accomplishment.

A few minutes later, Kakashi emerged, fully decked in his usual Jounin attire. "So, where to?"

"Did you have to ask?" Naruto asked with a grin.

----

5 bowls of ramen later, and the 3 were indolently slumped over the empty remains of their lunch at the Ichiraku counter. Naruto was nodding off lightly, his head lolling on Sakura's shoulder while a drop of drool threatened to sever from his pursed lips. Sakura gazed down at him, but mostly the bit of drool uneasily, and tried to carefully shift him over.

Kakashi let out a subdued snort. "Aww, how cute. You two are bonding."

Sakura shot him a dirty look, and managed to get Naruto to slump against the wall instead of her shoulder. There, now he could drool to his heart's content. She sighed, and wiped her hands on her lap self-consciously, hoping there wasn't any drool residue.

"So how are things?" Kakashi asked conversationally. His elbow rested on the counter, propping his head up.

"Unusually boring," Sakura grumbled in response. "I know that peace is supposed to be a great and wonderful thing, but I can't help myself from missing the older, busier days."

"You and I both," he grunted in response, peering around lazily. "But then I just remember to myself that it's better off this way. A much lower risk of losing the people I care about - like my friends and comrades."

Sakura shrugged, but nodded.

"So you're still working at the clinic," Kakashi mused. "So are you like, Doctor Sakura or something now?"

She shook her head with a shy smile. "Not yet. I'm Head Nurse Sakura, though."

"Ahh, close enough. You're on your way." He pulled back from the counter, stretching. "Hmm...I can't help thinking we should do something else other than just lounge around here. I have a nagging feeling that we're taking up valuable paying customer space."

"Good point. We're done here, anyway. Let's find something else to do...preferably something to wake Naruto up." Sakura hopped off her stool, and Kakashi slowly eased himself off his. They both eyed Naruto in amusement.

Kakashi sighed, and begrudingly slipped an arm beneath Naruto and heaved him up over his shoulder, and they exited the Ichiraku stand.

Naruto stirred and kicked Kakashi's stomach reflexively. "HUH WHAT!? Oh...it's just you."

Kakashi winced from the impact hitting his stomach, and swallowed before replying, "Yes. I see you've finally chosen to wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

"Hey, I can't help it. Man, ramen's like a heavenly sedative for me - I always knew it was my anti-drug!"

He set him down gingerly, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"So now what?"

Naruto shrugged groggily. "We might as well go to the training field and do something active so I can wake up a bit."

"Hm. Good idea," Sakura responded. "I'm probably real out of shape due to the lack of active missions."

"Just as long as you don't get fat, I'll love you forever," Naruto said, fluttering his eyelashes at her teasingly.

----

They chased after one another, training until the sun began to go down. The wind began to pick up, and Sakura felt her legs ache from lack of strenuous use. Not only did her legs hurt, but her feet were also throbbing from the shoes the day before. She found herself straining to keep up with Naruto.

Towards the closing of the session, she turned to survey the damage they had done to the field. Uprooted plants, deep crevices in the dirt and some newly bare patches in the grass... Eh, it could've been worse. A tree had been split down perfectly to its roots, both halves of the tree flopping to the sides idly in the gentle breeze.

Naruto skidded to a halt, gazing up at the sky. "Whoa, already? Damn...the days just get too short as you get older..."

Kakashi shrugged. "Sometimes I consider it to be a blessing. Besides, as you get older - days lose their appeal, and nights grow more...ahem, interesting."

Sakura strode over, gritting her teeth in pain and joined the group.

Naruto noticed her constipated-looking expression, and smiled mildly. "So I guess you _are_ out of shape, huh?"

Sakura said nothing, but gave him a look that that spoke heaps of angry things. Naruto stepped away, wincing.

"So, is our day...over?" he asked hestitantly, frowning.

"I sure hope not. We have the whole night," Kakashi replied evenly, glancing at his watch. "It's only 9:03. Bars close at 2."

Sakura whirled around and gaped at him. "Bars?...You mean you want us to go _drinking _with you?"

"Why not?" He shrugged. "You're both of age. I see nothing wrong with it."

She shook her head. "No, it's just...kinda strange. Just yesterday you were admonishing us like the 12 year olds we were and now today...we're drinking with you like equals."

"It happens." His eye crinkled pleasantly.

"Woohoo!" Naruto jumped up and down. "Drinking with Sensei! Holy crap, I feel so...mature!"

They set off towards one of many of the small Konoha pubs dotted across the village, this one known as Morino's. Kakashi pushed open the dilapidated and creaky door as if it were his own front door, while Naruto and Sakura glanced around in wonder.

It wasn't as if Sakura had never gone drinking before. Though it wasn't exactly her cup of tea, (she always remembered her 20th birthday spent hunched over a toilet dry-heaving), she and Ino frequented a club just a few blocks away from the clinic, however the atmosphere was entirely different without the dancefloor, the pounding music, and the sweaty bodies. Here, it was a rather cramped set-up, with droning televisions and a battered pool table in the corner that she was sure had seen better days. It seemed like the kinda place where all the visitors were on a first-name basis, and where nearly half the customers were over the age of 35.

Naruto pushed out his chest, and joined Kakashi at a stool which collapsed under his weight. He blushed, and looked around himself in embarassment before pushing the broken pieces to the stool off into the corner. Thankfully, everyone else had been far too immersed in watching the TV to notice. Sakura took a seat on the other side of their sensei, her nose crinkling at the musty scent of the bar.

It, frankly, smelled like very hard liquor and hairy old men. Exactly what part of this did Kakashi find appealing? She looked around in slight fascination. Then again, he was a rather private person - perhaps he liked everything about this place that she found less than enthralling?

Kakashi waved down the bartender and ordered a beer, and Naruto ordered the same. Sakura turned down the option of alcohol, after all she would be at work in less than 12 hours, and she didn't want to spend her workday battling a hangover. So she ordered a water instead, garnering some weird looks from her team-mates.

Naruto challenged Kakashi to a drinking competition, and the two began to order more drinks back and forth, downing them as quick as possible and then trying to tempt the other person into topping them. As interesting as it seemed, Sakura placed her bet on Kakashi, and grew rather bored with just watching their lame drinking game. She excused herself, and snuck out of the bar to enjoy some fresh air.

The stars were just beginning to really dot the night's sky, twinkling brighter the more the sky darkened. She leaned against the bar's exterior, smiling slightly as a cool evening breeze lapped at her cheeks. Summer was dwindling, and with it went the trademark boiling Konoha heat, and the nostalgia that accompanied it. She stretched her arms out, reaching to the stars and squinting, pretending she could grab them in her hands. 8 years had passed by both quickly and sluggishly, and she found herself wondering at how she had become a young woman in such a short amount of time.

So much had happened... Just within the past 2 years. With the Akatsuki wiped out, and Sasuke returned back to the village, the world began to quiet down. Major threats blipped out of existence, and a quilt of what had to be called peace was draped over the fire country. In a way, it felt lonely. She had lost her sense of purpose and motivation, now that all she had wanted had come true. Sasuke was back - though changed and still not quite an ally, and she no longer had to worry about what deaths and mortal injuries the next day would bring. What else was left to look forward to grasping now? Marriage?

Sakura snorted at the idea under her breath. Yeah right. She was only 20, and yet she had a sinking feeling that she would die a husbandless and childless woman, perhaps resigning from everything and become a crazy cat lady. She knew it was foolish to look at the distant future that way, but it was hard expecting much more than that.

She could just see it now - her friends would start pairing off, two by two, marrying and producing little hellspawn children, and she would become the village babysitter or something. And she would be the only one left single. She shuddered at the thought; she hated her pessimism, no matter how accurate it seemed to portray things at times.

She heaved a gentle sigh, feeling the toll of the day's events begin to drag her down, and she turned and re-entered the bar. She expected to see a smug Kakashi, completely sober, and a drunken and passed out Naruto drooling all over the bar counter. What she didn't expect was to see them both completely incapacitated, and _both_ drooling all over the bar counter.

"Oh my god," she murmured as she rushed over. She slapped them both on the back, hearing them grunt and gurgle in response. "What the hell, you two! I thought you guys would be fine..."

"I am fine," Kakashi lifted his head and smiled at her loopily. His eyes seemed to be staring at the wall behind her instead of her face. Sakura smacked her forehead, and jostled Naruto until he sat up a bit.

"Whuuuuh?" He looked at her, mouth gaping open in confusion.

"Ugh, look at you two," Sakura chastised. "I better get you guys home..." She dragged Naruto off his barstool, and yanked Kakashi until he found the instinct to stand on both feet.

This would be one hell of a walk home.

----

Trying to balance two drunken adult men on either arm was something that Sakura found rather difficult. Naruto was trying to go towards the right, and Kakashi was yanking her sharply to the left, and with each step she took, she put an extra amount of force behind.

She figure'd she'd take Naruto home first, seeing as she discovered his new drunken habit of yelling at people on the streets. Everytime a woman passed, he let out an obnoxious wolf-whistle and some slurred words of desire, and Sakura would do her best to mouth an apology. Some women looked understanding, some were just too disgusted to care.

Kakashi was rather easy, besides the fact that if he wanted to change direction, he'd almost tear Sakura's arm off. However, he was generally quiet, mumbling inaudible things.

Sakura grunted, forcing both men to go straight, and Naruto began shouting at her in drunk rage. "WHADDYA THINK YOU'RE DOING!? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, BITCH!?"

He began tripping over his own feet, and doubled over, almost pulling the other two with him. He took a few long moments to recover and stand, gripping his head while cringing.

Sakura sighed in relief as they neared his appointment, and she released Kakashi's hand momentarily to hoist Naruto up the front steps.

"Believe me. You'll thank me for this tomorrow," she told him with a weak smile.

Naruto was starting to come to his senses, and he reached out and touched her cheek with a goofy grin. "Thanks, Sakura-channnnnn...."

Sakura twisted his front doorknob, and pushed the door in, watching as Naruto creeped inside. He saluted once he was all the way in, and closed the door promptly. She smiled at her accomplishment - one down, one to go. She turned around and saw Kakashi standing there, with a strange glint in his eyes.

"Are you going to take me home now?" he asked, his voice thick and husky.

Something about it felt unbearably raw, but in a pleasurable sense. It made her insides wobble and swoon, and she wondered for a moment if perhaps _she _was the drunk one. She looped arms with him, and nodded.

It wasn't that far to get to Kakashi's house, it was only 2 blocks away, and without Naruto the trip was less arduous and risky. Kakashi seemed to be able to walk just fine, he wasn't swaying too and fro like their blonde team-mate had. After about 50 steps, their arms gradually fell out of each other, and they settled for just walking side by side with a couple feet of distance between them.

When they reached his house - a tidy-looking brick building on the exterior, reflecting the trim interior that Kakashi had a habit of maintaining with little effort - she made sure he got up the front steps all right, and watched as he fumbled with the lock on the front door.

He smiled sheepishly at her, and offered his house key, gesturing to the door. Sakura nodded, and stepped up to unlock it.

"Thanks," he muttered embarassedly. He pushed the door open and ventured inside, undoing his headband and letting it fall slack over a coathanger by the door.

Sakura waved. "So you don't need me anymore?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "I suppose you could go...But I'd rather you stay. There are many more obstacles in this old house that I'm not sure I can overcome by myself in this state."

She weighed the options, but nodded. He was right - if he couldn't unlock his front door, what else would he be unable to do or attempt to do? She shuddered when an image of him trying to handle a stove-oven flashed into her mind. She entered his house without further ado, and shut the door behind her.

She slipped her shoes off and followed him into the den. Kakashi had collapsed on the sofa, staring at the ceiling as if it were a fascinating work of art. Sakura glanced up briefly to ascertain that there was nothing special about it, and then found a corner of the sofa to sit on.

"Are you just gonna try to go to bed?" she asked, running her hands casually over the sofa material.

He sat up, and his hard eyes focused on her as if there were something rather serious going on. He didn't respond, he just reached.

And his hand seized her arm, ripping her closer to him. Sakura caught herself, afraid that if she hadn't then she'd have ended up in his lap, and sat up, rubbing her arm tenderly.

"What?" she demanded.

He ran his fingers up her arm, across her collarbone, and traced their way up to cup her jawline. At this point, she was helplessly frozen - a deer caught in the headlights with nowhere to run or turn to. And she quickly asked herself if there _was_ any place she'd rather run to right now. He was just drunk. He'd probably drop her and go pass off if she just let him stop on his own.

But when she saw his free hand reach up and tear his mask down, exposing his flushed cheeks and lips, she felt a creeping feeling that this wouldn't be the case.

Just as she opened her mouth to protest, he slammed his lips down over her own.


	3. The Awkward Aftermath

**A/n: Hii, people. This chapter's rather shitty, as I sort of lost sight of the ending destination for this fic. I'm all plum out of ideas, and so I think I may be putting this story on hiatus (temporarily!). :/ If anybody has any sort of idea or anything, please let me know. I'm open to anything at this point. xD;**

**However, I have good news! I finally updated 'Moonlight Shadow', my first KakaSaku fic ever, after almost 3 years! I can't believe I actually picked something up again! Also, I have an idea for a new fic in the works, which I shall be starting very shortly. It will have an epic (or as epic as anything I write can possibly be) plot, involving seduction and sexiness and stuff like that. :3**

**I can provide the summary that I have decided on it so far: _'It was just supposed to be a simple deflowering procedure, so how did things get so complicated?'_ Okay, so it's pretty much not exactly that, but along those lines. You -should- be able to pick up on the general gist of that story, but I don't want to reveal too much about it. All I can say is that it will make fangirls happy? XD I hope I actually write it. xD So, keep your eyes peeled for it! This author's note is obnoxiously long, which I apologize for!**

**ENJOY CHAPTER 3 AND REVIEW! KTHANKS!  
**

**Chapter 3!**

----

Suddenly, the world shrank. All Sakura was aware of was the feeling of warmth spread evenly throughout her body as the infamous copy-ninja's lips hungrily pried at her own. She could barely move her lips to accept, for the weight of his body pressing down on her as well as the obvious kissing was deleting all intelligence from her body. She felt dumb, very dumb. As if she were trapped inside her body, unable to speak or move in any sort of protest. However, one nagging thought kept jabbing at her brain incessantly. _'This feels so nice...'_

Kakashi reared back for a moment, gazing down at her with clouded eyes. His sharingan twitched, and Sakura felt herself draw in a sharp breath. A crack of moonlight caught his red iris, flooding it with a glowing incandescent quality. She gaped, and he roughly yanked her up by the collar to meet him in yet another bruising kiss. Heat began to circulate throughout her body - but it wasn't the usual comforting sort of heat that she got from reading romance novels or eating chocolate - it was a _needy_ heat. As if every sensitive part of her body was ablaze, and despite the initial discomfort it brought, she found herself craving this heat more, and more.

It was when she unconsciously released a low, throaty moan that sense struck her on the back of the head.

Sakura's eyes shot wide open. What was going on here?! What...why was Kakashi-sensei straddling her and trying to shove his tongue down her throat!? Her only instinctive reaction was to knee him hard in the balls, and she did just that, hurling the silver-haired Jounin backwards violently. His back struck the opposite armrest of the couch, and he hissed in pain, rubbing his shoulder. Sakura mutely watched him in horror, her right hand slowly reaching up to touch her lips. No....no, this couldn't have happened.

Sense seemed to dawn on Kakashi as well. He merely stared back at her, a thick flush of embarrassment coating his cheeks. He cleared his throat, and released his shoulder, letting his eyes stray downwards.

So _this_ was what an awkward moment was.

"..."

"I think you should go." Kakashi's eyes flicked up to meet hers, hard with something that looked akin to anger. Was he mad at her?

"B-But.." Sakura stumbled.

"You heard me," he replied simply. He pulled himself up from the couch, avoiding her gaze now, and turned to walk away when Sakura snatched the sleeve of his shirt.

"Don't you dare just shove your tongue down my throat and walk away!" she snarled.

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, and his brow furrowed. "Forgive me," he muttered. "I think you know your way out."

He continued walking, and Sakura heard the opening, and subsequent closing of a door - probably his bedroom. She sat on his couch for a moment, trying to replay the moments that had just occurred over and over, and each time it only caused more unwanted blushing. After a few moments, she gave up and exited his house, beginning a lonely walk home.

It just didn't make sense. She quietly shut the door behind her, and took small, leisurely steps towards her house. The feeling of shock was still pumping through her veins like an unsettling adrenaline rush, and she reached up and put her hand over her chest, feeling the violent pounding. It felt as though her heart were a caged bird hurling itself at its entrapment repeatedly, and she swallowed, feeling a couple tears prick at her eyes.

Sakura silently cursed herself. Why did she have to turn into a blubbering emotional mess at the most inopportune moments? She chewed her lip as she continued her walk, and glanced upwards at the moon in an attempt to distract herself. It was high in the sky, still the familiar pearly white with the mysterious gray patches smeared across the surface. At least she could always count on the moon to stay the same, at least for the next 50 years.

It was when she turned onto her street that the tears let loose, and fat drops splattered over her cheeks messily as she did her best to stifle a pained whimper. What the hell had happened? Just early that day, they had been laughing and enjoying themselves as if 8 years hadn't even come and gone. But once alcohol was mixed in, everything changed. It just felt so _wrong_ - Kakashi-sensei, the man who was the closest fit for an uncle to her, had kissed her like... Sakura shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip.

Like a _lover_.

She stepped up to her front door and unlocked it, slipping inside without bothering to turn on any lights. She entered her room, tore off her clothes and then crawled under the covers, staring at the ceiling as if it would provide comfort and answers to her aching mind. For about a half hour, she ran through the scene over and over in her head, from the time she entered his house until the time he disappeared into his room. Each time she thought of the kiss itself, her heart fluttered, and her chest became enveloped in a dull heat.

That's when it hit her. It wasn't the act of the kiss itself that had torn her raw inside out.

It was the fact that she had _liked_ it.

--

The next morning, bright and early, Sakura headed to work at the clinic, and things seemed back to normal. Tsunade was slightly tipsy when she greeted the pink-haired medic, grinning broadly and slurring her 'good morning'. Shizune tailed behind her closely, trying to herd her boss back into her office without attracting too much attention from the patients.

Sakura sighed, and smiled to herself softly. Perhaps things would completely shift back to their previous state, and perhaps Kakashi won't even remember what he did. However, the mere thought of that sent a weak pang through her gut. She rubbed her stomach tenderly to try and distract the thoughts that began surfacing in her mind, and set to work.

The day wasn't as long as she had hoped it would be. It was fairly quiet - she gave a few infants their first examinations, gave annual shots to a couple school-aged children, and gave a middle-aged woman a rather awkward physical. Everything was complete by 6pm, and she found herself cursing the lack of extra work to do. She encircled the nurse's station three times, questioning if there was anything else left to be done.

"Go home, Sakura," was the same reply she got each time, accompanied by a knowing smile.

She grabbed her purse and slipped out the front entrance, taking in the crisp early autumn breeze as it ruffled her hair. Across the street at the community playground, small children chased each other without a single care in the world. She watched them, smiling distantly and found herself almost envying their innocence. Their crises in life were confined to not getting dessert at night after supper, or not being able to play an extra hour at night with their friends. She chuckled to herself, and didn't notice the slow footsteps that approached her from the side.

It was him, the one and only 'get-intoxicated-and-then-totally-neck-your-student' culprit.

Sakura stiffened as she watched him come closer in her peripheral, and she contemplated ignoring him despite how futile she knew it would be. He stopped short 8 feet away from her, and cleared his throat.

She pretended not to notice.

"Sakura...I, uhm..."

Nope, not listening.

"Sakura, I'm sorry about last night."

She bit her lip.

"I think you know the effects that alcohol can have on some people, and well... I'm one of the people who gets, uhm...well, you know what I mean." He shuffled his feet.

Sakura turned her head slightly so she could see him in full. He was slouched, eyes fixated on the ground, and his hair appeared almost as if it were on fire by the flecks of orange reflected from the sunlight. Her heart softened. He was simply too handsome to ignore for too long. She inwardly groaned.

"It's fine," she ground out.

"No, it's not," Kakashi said, shaking his head slowly. "I feel absolutely rotten, and I'm sure you aren't feeling too wonderful yourself. Afterall, we do kind of have an awkward relationship as is - an adult student and her teacher."

Sakura's throat spasmed upon hearing the word 'relationship', and she tried to cover it up with a swift cough. "Well, I won't lie. It was pretty damn awkward..."

"Exactly." Kakashi smiled tiredly from beneath his mask, and Sakura noted the unusual bags beneath his eyes.

"But I'm not sure if I forgive you quite yet," she shot quickly, flipping her hair.

"I didn't expect you to," he replied pleasantly.

Sakura chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking for a moment, and then sighed. "Well, I'm heading home."

"All right. Would you like me to walk you home? It's the least I can do after last night."

She weighed her options - on the one hand, it was going to be immensely awkward. On the other hand, perhaps it would help to absorb the awkwardness more easily. She nodded.

"Sure, why not."

Kakashi looked sincerely pleased, and began to stroll alongside her leisurely, shielding his eyes from the blinding sunset. "It's a beautiful evening, isn't it?"

Sakura squinted uncomfortably. "Hn. I guess."

He glanced over at her. "So how was your day at work?"

She shrugged. "Not too stressful. There wasn't enough to keep me busy, so I had to leave early."

"And you're not thankful?" He inquired, amused.

"No. I'm a self-confessed workaholic, and I like it that way, thank you very much," Sakura said. "I get bored when there's nothing else to do."

"What about relaxation? Taking a break? You know...vacation?"

They weren't foreign words to her, they just held no appeal. At least not at this point in her life. Days off and time left vacant only reminded her of how empty her life truly was outside of her job. She had no significant other to enjoy all that time with; she only had herself, her couch, and sometimes a bucket of icecream.

But she didn't want to tell him all that.

"I don't want to become lazy," she decided to defend with, accepting it as an understandable excuse.

Kakashi snorted. "That can't be it."

Sakura stiffened, and turned to glare at him. "Well why not?!"

"Because I know you better than that," he responded coolly, flashing a small smile at her from the corners of his eyes.

Sakura folded her arms across her chest and resisted the urge to pout. He wasn't a highly-regarded ninja for nothing.

"I bet I know the real reason why you refuse to stop being such a profound workaholic."

Oh boy, here it comes. He was going to pull the truth - even the truth that she liked to hide from herself - and pour it down her throat so she'd be unable to avoid it.

"Try me," Sakura grumbled half-heartedly. She was relieved to see that her house was just coming into view over the horizon.

"I bet..." Kakashi began, glancing over at her to make sure she could be paying attention, "that you're just lonely."

One word said it all. Lonely. The starkness of it almost made Sakura shudder. She bit back a growl and her steps turned to stomps.

He must've noticed her angered reaction, for he asked, "No rejections? I'm not wrong?"

She didn't reply. All she was focusing on was her tiny white house with the pale blue shudders, growing closer and closer. Just a little longer, and then she'd be free of this uncomfortable interrogation session.

She practically ran up to her front steps, with Kakashi striding to keep up. She fumbled with her housekeys, and pushed the front door open, whirling around with the intention of a curt goodbye, but when she saw him staring at her with a deep frown knit across his face, she couldn't progress.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Kakashi said, shaking his head. "Just know that I'm sure you're not the only lonely one. Just promise that instead of shutting yourself up like this, you'll at least try to work a little social life in." A wicked grin suddenly spread across his face. "Especially if you ever want to find yourself a decent husband."

Sakura huffed. "Good bye!" she snapped, and slammed the door closed. She pressed her back up against it, and could hear his muffled chuckles as he walked away.

It wasn't fair, to have him shove what she already knew into her face like that. She ran her fingers through her hair and heaved a sigh.

But things just couldn't be helped.

---

**END CHAPTER 3! FTW!**


	4. The Mistake

**A/N: After nearly 2 months away from this story, I'm back! With an update! I apologize for the lack of a previous update, but ...let's just say that I've been preoccupied. I had to deal with a nasty hospitalization for respiratory failure in the beginning of October, in which I had to be intubated. AKA I had to have a breathing tube inserted in my throat. It was an interesting experience - my first time being put to sleep. XDD Since my discharge, I've been doing a lot better. I'm still on steroids though -sighs- And now my face has ballooned...and so has my stomach.  
**

**Anywhoo, please forgive me. This chapter was very hard to write, and I rewrote it like 3 times. After the anesthesia it was really hard writing anything, and I'm still sort of feeling those effects currently. So if the writing's off, it's probably because my mind is still a little frazzled. XDD I'm still not proud of this chapter in the least, in fact I sort of hate it. But it's the closest I could get to making it satisfactory, so please try to like it? haha. So yeah! Please try to enjoy it, and leave a review for me please? -bats eyes at you- do it for a sickly teenage girl?**

**Oh! And I uploaded my new story - Rhymes of an Hour. Now, I'm actually proud of that one so far. Please check it out when you get a chance and leave a review to let me know whether or not I should continue it! :D  
**

**--**

**Chapter 4: The Mistake**

**--  
**

The ensuing week dragged by achingly slowly, and it began to feel as though that one night on Kakashi's couch had never even happened in the first place. Life kept chugging along as usual, and Sakura's medicnin work remained as bland as it had been.

What jolted her out of the melancholy was an unexpected call from Ino one night.

"Hey, you," Ino's voice blared. "You've been shut up in that damn apartment, haven't you?"

Sakura blinked, holding the receiver of the phone a few inches away so as not to deafen herself. "I haven't had many other options," Sakura replied coolly.

"Idiot. Of COURSE you have! Helll-ooo?! Me?! Your friendly neighborhood BEST FRIEND??" At this point, a mere few inches wasn't nearly enough distance to protect Sakura's ears. She bit back a yelp of pain, and reached up and rubbed her ear tenderly.

"Look! I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay? So, why don't we do something? You're right, I should have called you," Sakura tried to reason.

"You damn better believe we're doing something! Listen. The anniversary of Asuma's death is in two days, and while I was working the shop today Anko came in and told me that all the Jounin are planning a little get-together at her house, and she said to invite everyone."

Sakura nearly choked on her own tongue. "A-Asuma's....Oh shit..."

"Yeah, let me guess. You forgot, didn't you?"

"Ino, I'm so sorry...everything's just been crazy and...Wow. So it's the day of the anniversary?"

"Yup. I figured I'd stop by your house after paying my respects with the team, and we could just pop on over to Anko's. That sound good?"

"That sounds great," Sakura responded with a nod.

"Okay. I'm glad you answered your phone, forehead!" Ino said. "Let's plan that I'll be at your house at 6:30pm on Thursday."

"All right."

"Bye."

Sakura hung up and exhaled a wispy sigh, leaning back in her armchair. An updated version of 'Nagano's Guide to Popular Herbal Remedys' was sprawled halfway across the armrest and her thigh, and she could feel the heat radiating from the lightbulb of the lamp next to her. She rubbed her temples lazily.

The anniversary of Asuma's death... How many years had it been? Each year, it still shook up Ino quite a bit, though it wasn't noticable to someone who wasn't as close to her as Sakura. Ino had always been stronger than her in that aspect. She hid her troubles and her sad feelings, and always pushed through things with relative ease and grace. It was another facet of Ino that Sakura had often envied in their youth.

She knew that Thursday wasn't going to be the happiest day for her. However, she was thankful that the usual party had been scheduled for that evening, and even more thankful that they could both attend now that they were of drinking age. Her mind grazed over what it would be like, and snagged on one subject.

Kakashi. Kakashi would undoubtedly be there, in fact, there was no chance in hell that he wouldn't be there. She chewed her lip thoughtfully. They hadn't spoken since the day he escorted her home, and there was still a tinge of awkwardness between them regarding the drunken kiss incident. Thankfully, Kakashi wasn't the type of guy to let awkwardness show. He would, for sure, greet her that night just as he had any other night or morning, as if there was an endless amount of innocence left between them.

Oh God. She had forgotten how deep the awkwardness ran though. Was it really awkwardness, though? No, it certainly felt more like an offshoot of shyness. As if she were afraid to face him, afraid to look up into that smoky blue eye and that crimson sharingan and remember back to the hazy arousal that had once circulated through them. It felt almost bittersweet. Like a bruise that was sore only to the touch, making her want to recoil and avoid contact with him.

Yet, at the same time, she knew she craved it. Because this made it final - she had absolutely loved every moment of what he had done to her, and she felt a bit gypped since she knew that she would probably never experience it again.

Dammit - was this LOVE? No, it couldn't be. Because that would mean that she'd be in love with the man who had watched her mature in that painfully awkward fashion from age 12 to 20. He watched her breasts grow (indirectly), watched her get her heart broken for the first time...it would be similar to falling in love with your own father.

But it didn't feel like it. Sakura closed the book on her lap and dropped it onto the floor beside her, ignoring the large thump that resulted. She threw her head back against the back of the chair repeatedly, until she realized that the dull impact would do nothing to set her mind straight. She let out a huff, and scowled.

-----

"Make sure you dress flatteringly," Ino had instructed Sakura over the phone early that morning. "If you wear anything frumpy or unattractive, I'll take it as an insult to my late sensei." Sakura had groaned and let out a scoff as a reply, but was forced to agree to the conditions. At 6:15pm that night, she stood in front of the full-body mirror in her bedroom, eyeing herself warily. So far she had managed to slip into a black spaghetti-strap dress with a pink sash that hugged her curves just a little bit too tightly for her fancy, and she had located a small pink pendant necklace under her bed to go with it.

She shifted her weight on each leg, turning to the side and examining her appearance. Ehh. It looked decent. As long as it kept Ino from complaining, she would deal with it. She wiggled her toes, and bit her lip, wondering what to do for footwear. She strode over to her closet and slid it open, and saw the 5 pairs of shoes that littered the floor within. She sank to her knees and examined each pair. Her medicnin sneakers, her mission uniform boots.... a pair of slippers, a pair of bright blue slip-ons... She reached to the farthest corner, and pulled back to examine her findings. The heels. Sakura held them out and examined the contrast between them and her dress.

Well, fuck. It appeared that they were her only choice, unless she wanted to piss Ino off by wearing the blue shoes. She rose to her feet and sat on her bed, putting the heels on. She wiggled her toes, deducing that it wasn't so bad, in fact it could be alot worse. She stood up and made her way into the bathroom to apply makeup.

Ino arrived 5 minutes later, banging on the door as if the fate of the world were at stake, and Sakura flitted to the front door, clutching an eyeliner pen in one hand and a piece of toilet paper in the other, and flung open the door. Ino blinked at the display before her.

"...Um.."

Sakura groaned and hurried back into the bathroom to finish, Ino dawdling behind her. When she was finished applying a flattering tone of eyeshadow and eyeliner, she hurriedly cleaned up and stepped out to model for Ino.

"Is this good enough for you?" she asked, strained.

"...To be perfectly honest, Sakura...it's far better than I had even wished for," Ino replied with a weak chuckle.

Sakura's eyes widened. "R-Really? Does that mean I look good?"

"No. It means you look like a pile of shit," Ino answered sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "But here..." She stepped behind Sakura and removed a hairband from around her wrist, sweeping Sakura's hair into a high ponytail and fastening it. She pulled back to assess her work, and gave a thumbs up. Sakura glanced in the mirror. Her wispy bangs framed the sides of her face, giving her a more pronounced look of maturity. A grin spread across her cheeks, and she muttered a bashful 'thank you' to her friend.

"Now let's get going! Oh, cute shoes by the way. Where'd you get them?" Ino paused, ever the sucker for shoes.

"... I got them with you, remember?"

"....Oh. Well. Good choice!"

---

The two strode through the streets, chattering animatedly about how drunk the others were bound to get that night and other various things. They nearly passed Anko's house, a small black shack on the edge of the village, before Ino regained her senses and cried, "Here we are!"

She carefully pushed open the front door, and the noise of people laughing and conversing, complimented by the undertone of soft music leaked from within. She held the door open for Sakura, and the two slid inside.

"Ahh! You guys made it!" Anko slurred as she slunk over, draping her arms over the two girls' shoulders. "So glad you could...make it..." It seemed that the party had started long enough for some of the veteran Jounin to become tipsy. Sakura eyed Ino nervously, who smiled weakly at their host.

"Of course! Thank you for having us and throwing this party..." Ino said sweetly.

"Ahh, no problem. Everybody here loved Asuma," Anko said, gesturing limply to the crowd within her home. "He was a good...man..." She detached from the girls, and began to circulate around the room, engaging in conversation all along the way.

"She scares me," Sakura whispered swiftly to Ino as they explored the house. In the kitchen they found a large table, on which were casual party snacks such as chips, but the real attraction was the gigantic bowl of red liquid situated in the center. "Is that punch?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah. Undoubtedly spiked, too," Ino said, fingering the large ladle that swam in the liquid. It bobbed lazily up and down. Sakura winced.

"Spiked punch...wow... I feel so grown up," she said, letting out a small giggle.

"Hey! You guys came!" came a booming voice. Naruto pushed past a small crowd and greeted them, beaming.

"Of course I came!" Ino sniffed. "He was _my_ sensei!"

"Yeah, yeah sure. You just came for the alcohol," Naruto teased. His sights fell on Sakura, and he raised an eyebrow. "Hey, what happened to your face?"

Sakura's cheeks reddened considerably. "W-What do you mean!?" she demanded hotly.

"Oh...You're wearing makeup? Wow...That's a first..."

She scowled at him. "I'll have you know I wear makeup often enough!"

"Maybe once every year and a half," Ino clarified. Naruto nodded.

"So that must be why I've never seen it...Hm." He patted Sakura on the back. "It uh, looks nice on you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura let out a sigh. "Thanks, Naruto. So, who else is here?"

"Basically everyone. Even Hinata! Dude! Somebody forgot to tell her that the punch was spiked....and so....Well..."

A rather flushed Hinata joined the group at Naruto's side, swaying. "Hiii....evveryoneeee...." she said, a cute smile permanently glued to her face.

"See?" Naruto laughed. "She's totally buzzed."

Ino's eyes widened. "Oh my god! She is!"

Hinata grinned loopily at Ino. "Hi, Sakura-san!"

Ino sweatdropped. "Oh my God, she _really_ is."

"Well, I'm going to go make sure she doesn't hurt herself," Naruto said, waving. "I'll catch you guys later on." He began to direct Hinata away, which appeared quite difficult as she was starting to have trouble walking straight.

Ino and Sakura exchanged looks.

"So now what?" Sakura asked, tugging on the strap of her dress to try and air herself out.

"I say let's hit the damn punch already!" Ino howled, dashing over to the table and beginning to ladle herself some of the red concoction. Sakura reluctantly followed suit.

Ino took a large gulp, and flinched as she swallowed. "Yikes! Whoever made this put some really strong stuff in here... No wonder Hinata's so affected."

Sakura took a sip, and made a face. "Ugh...This tastes really funky."

"Who cares? It's alcohol!" Ino drained the rest of her cup and made a move for more. A few minutes later, and she was struggling to stand, giggling uncontrollably.

"Ohh man. I'm gonna go find a really hot guy and make out with him!" Ino proclaimed, inching towards the den. Sakura finished her cup, already feeling a thick buzz beginning to creep up on her, and decided to tag along in order to protect her friend.

The drone of conversation filled the den, which was nearly completely packed with people. In the corner rested a few couches and recliners, some of which occupied by horny couples. Sakura clung close to Ino, who collapsed on a sofa with a happy sigh.

"Ahhhh....Man I love parties...."

"Hmph...Not this one..." A tall man plopped down on one of the sofas opposite to Ino's, scowling.

Sakura sat beside Ino, and recognized the man as none other than Genma Shiranui, although his trademark recognizing feature was absent.

"Why not this one?" Ino asked in a slur.

"That damn Kakashi keeps stealing all the women I try to talk to," Genma replied in a snarl, folding his arms across his chest.

"He hasn't stolen meeeeeeeeeee," Ino informed him, rolling over so that her legs were in the air. Genma eyed her uncomfortably, and shook his head.

"Um. Let's just say...he keeps stealing the attractive ones."

Ino bristled and fell headfirst into a drunken rage. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU LOSER I'M BEAUTIFUL I'M PERFECTLY ATTRACTIVE YOU'RE JUST MAD THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE ME."

Sakura clamped her hand over Ino's mouth, smiling apologetically at Genma. "I'm sorry...She's quite the loudmouth when she gets drunk..."

"No kidding," Genma replied, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing his senbon. He popped the tip into his mouth and balanced it, sighing. "So what are you two kids going to be doing tonight?"

"PERVERT!" Ino blared.

"Well, I'm going to be watching her to make sure she doesn't make a complete idiot out of herself," Sakura responded.

"That sounds awfully boring. It's a party. Shouldn't you be off picking up guys or something?" Genma asked, the senbon bobbing up and down as he spoke.

Sakura blushed furiously. "I-I wish. No. Besides, I'm not much of a party person anyway..."

"Hmm. Me neither, really. I try to pick up chicks, and if Hatake Kakashi's in the same square mile radius, they automatically drop me and go for him."

"All at once?"

"Sometimes." Genma shrugged. "So I may just swear off of women entirely."

"I'm doing the same for men," Sakura said. "So I can sympathize." She chuckled softly.

Genma stared at her. "What? Why? You're perfectly fine. You could get most anyone."

"PERVERT!" Ino blared again.

Sakura ignored the blonde's outburst, and felt the tips of her ears darken. "No...Not really. I'm as socially adept as a crab."

Genma scoffed. "I highly doubt this. But if it is true, then you and me both are screwed, aren't we?"

"I suppose..." Sakura muttered.

"So all we can do is drink until we're completely wasted. Sound good?" He stood up, brushing his Jounin vest off. Sakura blinked, and looked anxiously from him to Ino.

"A-All right, I guess." She stood up, and hesitantly walked away beside Genma, leaving Ino behind.

"That god-damned Kakashi," Genma cursed under his breath. "What is it about him? Is it his cologne? His Sharingan? What IS it that makes all those fucking women want him!?"

"Probably the Sharingan," Sakura said, ladling herself a cup of punch. "They probably see it as some exotic token."

"You know what. I'm befriending a Hyuuga, and I'm going to get him to cut his eye out and switch with me," Genma said, slamming his fist onto the table as if he had just had an epiphany. "That'll show him."

Sakura giggled as she downed her drink. "Would that work?"

"I dunno. You tell me. Aren't you into that medical nonsense?"

"Yeah, but I haven't gotten far enough into my studies to determine the outcome of that."

"Well then you best study up. I'm absolutely serious. I'm totally going to do this."

The warmth of the alcohol sloshed in Sakura's stomach, making her smile uncontrollably. "Shouldn't you focus on finding a willing member of the Hyuuga clan first?"

Genma gulped down a drink, and looked contemplative. "You have a point. I probably should. But how?"

"Make Neji suicidal, and then convince him?" she suggested with a laugh. The alcohol was quickly beginning to take hold, making her inhibitions disappear rapidly.

"Hm. Now there's an idea," the older shinobi responded with a short laugh. "So, you're Haruno Sakura, yes? That damned Kakashi's student?"

Sakura nodded.

"Hm. Well let's hope that Kakashi wouldn't have the gall to steal you," he said, continuing to ingest the spiked punch as if it were the source of life itself.

Sakura tensed, intense heat flooding her face and neck so suddenly that she began to feel dizzy. "E-Ehh!?" she squeaked, letting out a startled cough.

Genma chuckled, wiping punch residue from his lips. "Sorry, sorry, forgive me. As you can tell, this alcohol's already beginning to affect me thoroughly. Being in the company of an attractive younger woman doesn't seem to be helping me much either."

The heat pooled in her cheeks, and Sakura absently reached up and rubbed them. "Oh please, Genma-san. I'm far from attractive. I'm just frumpy and weird."

"Far from it. I'd say your angry blonde friend is more that way than you. Why, I'd pursue you if I weren't so much older than you and afraid of scaring you."

Was he....flirting with her? Sakura swallowed hard, wondering if it was just the alcohol altering her perception of things. Could alcohol make you hear things wrong? Nevertheless, the thought of a man showing interest in her was...flattering. She'd almost forgotten what being flattered felt like, honestly. And by Genma? Despite being outranked by Kakashi as far as women's tastes went, he was still one of the most attractive men in the village.

"Y-You don't scare me," Sakura stuttered, still at a loss for coherent words. The world was blurred around the edges, thanks to Anko's bright red concoction. The sounds of laughter from the other room sounded underwater, the only clear-sounding voice aside from her own was Genma's. "And you're not that old. If anything I'm just young."

"Hm. I can't say that you're not," he said, slinking closer. "But you're legal, and that's what counts, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah sure I guess....if you're so inclined, I guess..." UGH. This attractive older man was flirting with her and now all she could do was make a complete fool out of herself!

To make matters starkly more worse, a certain somebody with impeccable timing decided to enter the kitchen just as Genma moved a little closer. Sakura was so preoccupied with her shyness, however, that she didn't even notice until the sound of somebody clearing their throat cut through.

They both turned, and Genma's sly smile soured into a sneer. Sakura's eyebrows raised.

Kakashi stood there, a suspicious look etched across his face. He caught himself, and replaced it with his usual friendly smile, however something within it contained a certain fake quality that Sakura's drunkness prevented her from picking up on. "Ahh, Sakura-chan. You made it. And you've made yourself undeniably plastered, too, I see."

"S-Sensei," Sakura said in wonder, tripping over the word. "Where have you been?"

"Well, I keep being followed by veracious females. I'm beginning to feel as though they're after my flesh itself and not really me, the way they hound me," Kakashi commented with a chuckle. Sakura felt Genma's arm tense beside her.

He seemed to note the other man's discomfort, and turned on his heels. "I'll catch you later. Be careful, Sakura." With that, he left the room, leaving a seething Genma behind.

"That bastard. Did you hear him? He's trying to rub it in. As if things aren't bad enough..." Genma grumbled. "He doesn't even have to lift a finger to get a women to sleep with him, yet I struggle to find women who will have normal conversations with me."

"Genma-san! I'm sure it isn't that bad...Maybe it's just that you try to talk to the women who aren't your type?" Sakura tried to supply.

"Hm. Maybe you're right..." He sighed and removed his headband-handkerchief, running a hand through his slightly sweaty locks. Sakura couldn't deny that he looked immensely handsome. However, her mind switched back to Kakashi, and his air of nonchalance when it came to women and sex. Suddenly, a piercing thought ripped through her mind.

Did Kakashi only kiss her that night to try and coerce her into sex? She tried desperately to push that possibility out of her head. No, that would be impossible. She was his student, he wouldn't dare try to do that to her. He had just been drunk....right? People did weird things when drunk, right?

"I need more alcohol," Genma suddenly declared, and he gravitated back to the refreshment table to retrieve some. Sakura tossed the option around in her head for a moment, and then gave in. What the hey? It was a party. She might as well go all out and get completely wasted.

---

Somehow, within a timeframe of about 15 minutes, Sakura and Genma had ended up on the kitchen floor, snogging incessantly. Sakura wasn't sure who had initiated it, at this point she wasn't even capable of structured thought. All she was aware of was the sloppy exchange of saliva taking place, and the heat of his hands on her bare thighs, slowly creeping up. She heard the sound of feminine moaning, and suddenly realized that it was her own voice performing those vocalizations.

Genma withdrew slowly, his eyes hazy and clouded over. Where had she seen eyes like that before? Oh yes. Sensei.

"I think we should head back to my place..." he murmured against her lips.

Sakura could only nod dumbly. Yes, yes, anywhere. Anywhere but this kitchen floor, yes?

He helped her up, and the two sort of limped out through the den towards the entrance of the house, passing the mirth and laughter as they went. Faces caught in her gaze - Ino laughing hysterically while lying across Kiba Inuzuka's lap, clutching a drink. Hinata passed out with her head on Naruto's shoulder, snoring softly. And, as they reached the door, one final face caught vividly. Kakashi Hatake, eyes wide and full of something that looked akin to anger, sitting between two busty women. His gaze locked onto Sakura's, lingering until she closed the door behind her, severing it.

As the two made their way carefully back towards Genma's apartment, he began to cackle. "Did you see that? Did you see the look on Kakashi's face? He was LIVID! Haha! I bet he was jealous or something."

Sakura didn't respond, clinging to Genma's arm as they walked. His apartment was only a short block away from Anko's house. He approached the front door and unlocked it, holding it open for his companion. She went in silently, her senses feeling slightly enhanced as she took in the musky scent of his living space.

He led her to his bedroom, pulling back the covers as he began to strip down to his boxers. Sakura glanced down at her own attire, wondering if she should remove anything, and decided to just flop onto the bed. They gravitated to each other, and their heated kissing resumed where it had left off, Genma's hand boldly fingering the hem of Sakura's dress. Something in the back of her mind, perhaps the only sober thing left in her, was screaming at her to stop this madness. To go home, and go to bed and pray that she didn't wake up with a hangover in the morning.

But as he began to reach around her and unzip her dress from behind, her mind began to go blank, preoccupied by arousal. So what if this would end up being a mistake? For the moment, everything felt fine..

Soon, she felt the chill of exposure, left in only her bra and panties. He quickly set to work, applying soft kisses to every inch of flesh that he could find. Vaguely, her mind drifted to whether or not the act would hurt - she had accidentally torn her hymen during training 6 years earlier, yet was still a virgin in all other aspects. Damn her and her incorrigible habit of thinking of the wrong things at the wrong times. He tugged the straps of her bra down, and began to lavish upon her breasts, awaking sensations of pleasure within her that she had never known could circulate through her body.

It was at this point that she gave in fully.

The next morning, she was awakened by the sound of someone moving around her, accompanied by the painfully sharp sunlight. She opened her eyes weakly, letting out a whimper as the light flooded through her head, causing a throb of pain to ring throughout her skull. She clamped a hand over her eye, shading it, and sat up to survey her surroundings.

And then she remembered.

Oh shit.

Genma was rushing around her, cursing as he pulled on various items of clothing. He paused when he noticed that she had awakened, and smiled slightly. "Oh. You woke up. Good morning."

"Unghh...far from it," she said curtly, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and pushing herself up. "What....did we..."

"Yes. We did." Genma laughed shortly as he zipped up his Jounin vest. "And now I hate to be insensitive but I kind of...need you to leave."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I think that last night, I let the alcohol sort of take over everything..and I'm sorry for that, I really am. But now that I'm sober I just..."

Sakura stared at him blankly.

"Sakura, you're a sweet girl. But I don't want you getting the impression that...God, I sound like an ass." Genma sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "I don't want you to think that anything more will come out of this."

"W-What?" she felt her mouth fall open.

"I'm sorry, really I am." Genma strode over and ran his hand over her tousled pink locks. "But in reality, I'm a lot older than you, and you can do so much better than me. I don't want to give you the wrong impression, because I shouldn't have slept with you last night and so...."

"And so it'll just remain a one-night thing," Sakura finished hollowly.

"Yeah...I mean...Well, did you expect anything to come out of it?"

To be honest, she didnt. She shook her head. "No...I didn't even expect anything to happen last night..." she murmured.

"Exactly. So...I'm sorry about everything...But I think it's best if we both sort of forget that last night ever happened," Genma concluded softly. He pressed his lips to her forehead lightly, and then pulled away. "I have to get going. Is there any way you can gather your things and---"

"No problem," she cut in, and despite the painful throbbing in her head, she quickly gathered her clothing and threw it on sloppily, and left the apartment without another word. She descended into the sun's onslaught, fighting back tears as she tried to make her way home as quickly and inconspicuously as possible.

As soon as she reached her own apartment, she nearly dove to unlock the door, and slipped inside as fast as she could. Once she was safe within its bounds, she sank to the floor and let out a pitiful sob.

How could she? How could she make such an idiot of herself like that...Memories of the previous night began to permeate through - the kissing, the look on Kakashi's face...oh God...the look on his face...Did he think of her as a whore now? Was she a whore now? And Genma had treated her so coldly, just throwing her out like that...

Had they even used protection? She smacked her head against the door with a choked wail. Yet another thing to lament over.

Why did life have to be so cruel to her? Or did she seriously ask for all of these things? She got up and limply walked over to her blinking answering machine, pressing the review button. Ino's voice flooded from the machine.

'Sakura!? Where did you go last night? Did you leave by yourself? Are you okay? God, you worried me so much...I mean, I was really drunk...but once I sobered up and thought about it, I got really worried for you, you know! Please call me back as soon as you get this!!'

Sakura had no desire to speak to her friend right now. She felt tired, achy...and she couldn't help but feel a bit used as well. Her first official time with a boy, the farthest she had gotten, as childish as all of those things sounded. And though it had been enjoyable - probably partially due to the alcohol's effect on her - it still felt...raw.

What was it like to give yourself to the one you loved? Now she'd never know. A lump swelled in her throat, and fresh tears spilled freely down her cheeks as she stifled another sob. She deleted Ino's message, and slunk into her room and closed her door. Right now, all she needed to do was sleep this off. This hangover...this depression...It was her only option at the moment.

As she laid down to sleep, one thought continued to torment her mercilessly. The look on Kakashi's face as she left, hand in hand while giggling with Genma. The look of sheer shock, mixed with anger. He probably had lost all respect for her now...She was probably nothing more than a common whore in his eyes. A common female.

----

**End chapter 4!**

**There. Was that so bad? :/ If it wasn't, please review. If it was....well....review anyway and tell me so I can improve.**


	5. The Encounter

**A/N: Here it is, chapter 5! :D also, i hate to be a drag and all...because i hate advertising fanfics of mine...but if anyone reads and reviews this story, could you _please_ try and take the time to check out my other story, 'Rhymes of an Hour'? If you like this story, I just about guarantee that you'll like that one. It would mean a lot to me! Also, if you do check it out, please tell me what you think! There's only one way (or maybe multiple ways, technically) for a writer to truly get better, and that's through garnering constructive criticism and honest opinions from people!**

**Speaking of which. Let me know what you thought of this chapter. :3 It was kinda difficult to write once I reached a certain point (I think you'll know which part, mwahaha), so I hope it ended up sounding semi-in character!!**

--

**Chapter 5: The Encounter**

--

Sakura woke up almost 12 hours later to the sound of her house phone ringing, and bolted upright in bed only to find her house completely pitch black. She felt around in her bed, then touched her forehead tentatively, relieved to find no pain in the action. She slipped out of bed and crept out to grab the phone.

"Hello?" she answered groggily.

"Sakura! Finally! I've been calling you all day...Did you get my message?" It was Ino.

"Uhh...No..." Sakura fibbed. If Ino had any inkling that she had listened to the message and then ignored the plea to return the call, she'd be roasted on a skillet.

"Oh...Well, where did you go last night?!" Ino demanded. "I know I was plastered like a bathroom wall, but I was looking all over the place for you when I left...Did you get home okay? Did you leave with anybody?"

Sakura drew in a quick breath. Wasn't it just funny how everytime something unfavorable happened, she would constantly become reminded of it again and again until she just became numb to it? "I...well...It's a long story."

"Sakura..." Ino's voice was slow and severe. "Tell me."

"I sorta ended up leaving with someone..."

"Oh, God. WHO?"

"I'm afraid that if I tell you, within an hour the rest of the village will have found out."

"Come ON, Sakura! Honestly! This is important. I swear that I won't tell anyone!" Ino shrieked. "Now you better fucking tell me who it was!"

"Genma," Sakura spat it out hastily.

"...." The line went silent.

"I-Ino?" Sakura ventured.

"....Genma?" The voice that emerged from the other end was most definitely Ino's, but it was the most murderous that Sakura had ever heard. "Shiranui...Genma?"

"Yes..."

"And where did you go with him?" Ino's voice was starting to scare her...

Sakura chewed her lip. "Back to his house," she supplied.

"...And what did you do?"

She gave a heavy sigh. "Do you have to ask?"

Ino gave a shrill cry. "SAKURA! YOU DIDN'T! Oh, no...._Seriously?_ With HIM? Oh, God..."

"It's not like I was sound of mind or anything, Ino," Sakura snapped. "If I had been sober... God, you know that if I had been sober I wouldn't have so much as touched that man!"

Ino took a deep breath, and seemed as though she began to relax. "All right... all right, you're right. I know, it's just... Wow. So you actually slept with someone..."

"I thought you were more concerned about my well-being!"

"Well, I am! But you've been deflowered, Sakura! This should be a time of celebration, and now it can't be. 'Cause ya had to fuck it all up and go fuck Genma of all people."

"I was DRUNK, Ino... And I regret every second of it, especially the part where he kicked me out this morning and--"

"--And gave you the whole 'it was a mistake' shpiel? Yeah, I know. I've gotten it too."

"Good, well then you know exactly how I feel right now," Sakura said, rubbing her forehead. "Now just promise that you won't let one drop of alcohol touch my lips again so long as I live."

"Deal. I don't trust you... Shiranui Genma? _Seriously?_ Well, I guess it's better than someone like Gai-sensei..."

"Excuse me while I vomit," Sakura cringed. "Anyway, I think I'm going to go now. Perhaps I'll go wallow in my self-pity with a bag of chocolate."

"Sounds sufficient. If you need a shoulder to cry on, don't hesitate to call me back."

"Deal." Sakura hung up and let out a noisy sigh. "Dear lord... What have I gotten myself into..."

-----

She had spent the rest of the night uncharacteristically moping. She had flipped on the TV and watched the sappiest, most depressing things she could, and clutched the bag of individually wrapped chocolates in her lap, snacking on them veraciously. Despite the hefty amount of sleep she had gotten, she began to feel a bit drowsy once 3AM crept along, and she drifted off in her recliner. Barely 3 hours had passed when her sleep was disrupted yet again by the ringing of the phone.

Sakura begrudgingly headed out and answered it. "Hello?" she grumbled.

"Sakura, good, you're up," Tsunade breathed into the phone in relief. "I know it's your day off, but you won't fucking believe it. Those Mizumi and Kotoha girls have called off today, and now we're desperately short. I wouldn't call you if I didn't have to, seeing as you're here almost every waking moment, but could you please come in today? I know it's your day off, but..."

She instantly snapped into professional mode. "Of course, Shishou."

"I'll even give you time and a half pay for not complaining," Tsunade added afterwards with a laugh. "Thank you so much, Sakura. You're a life-saver. If you could get here as soon as possible, that'd be great."

"All right." She swiftly hung up the phone and dashed into her room to throw on her uniform. She bounced around trying to get her sneakers to slide on straight, and then was out the door.

She must have showed up in record time, for when she arrived Shizune did a double-take.

"Already?!" She gasped. "Well, then... Um." She rounded the corner of her desk, and handed Sakura a thick stack of manila folders beneath a mess of incomplete paperwork. "Is there any way that you could do these by the end of the day? I'll help take on your load of patients."

Sakura blanched at the sight of the massive stack, but briskly nodded. "Sure." She reached out and eased the mass into her arms.

Shizune smiled lethargically, and brushed off her yukata. "Hopefully I'll get out of here early enough to finally eat dinner with Genma-san. It seems that every time I try to, I end up having to stay late..."

This only made Sakura blanch further. She tried not to gape, and instead cleared her throat awkwardly. "Genma? Are you two...."

"Dating?" Shizune giggled, and her cheeks reddened. "No. Not yet, at least... We seem to be getting closer and closer..." She drew her index fingers up and poked them together cutely.

It felt as though something in the pit of Sakura's stomach was thrashing around violently. She tried to smile politely at Shizune, and offered a few words of encouragement before retiring to the desk within her tiny office. She shut the door tightly behind herself, and put her head in her hands, trying hard to avoid tears.

She felt awful, even more like a whore now than before. She had had no idea that Shizune felt so strongly for Genma... Surely, if she had known, even if she had been drunk, she would have refused to associate with him. The guilt soon gave way to deep anger. How could he? If he had been reportedly growing closer to Shizune-san, then why would he do that to her? No wonder he had wanted her out so quickly in the morning.

With this weight drowning in her chest, the day passed slowly and brutally. She worked hard to complete her given stack of work, and when she had finished, she quietly deposited it on Shizune's desk much to her delight, and gathered her things to leave.

It was already 5:30pm, and a sudden stirring in her stomach alerted her to the fact that she really needed to eat. She stepped down the front steps of the clinic, and was blissfully unaware of any surrounding people, until something strong lashed out and latched onto her wrist, tearing her off into another direction.

Sakura barely had the time to yelp, and her head snapped up fearfully to get a look of her assailant. What she saw both assuaged her fear and instigated it further. It was Kakashi, but not the cheerful happy-go-lucky Kakashi. And the way he was gazing back at her didn't necessarily give her the feeling that he was just forcefully carting her off to go get Chinese or something. His sharingan was exposed, and both eyes were hard with something unreadable, impenetrable. All that she was really certain of was that his grip felt near-bruising.

"Se--" She began, but he cut her off.

"We need to talk," he said sharply, and proceeded to lead her off forcefully. Sakura fought the urge to yelp.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded, trying to pry his hand off of her. He responded to this only by gripping her tighter, and he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Somewhere where we can have this talk," he replied curtly.

This place turned out to be none other than Kakashi's residence, and once they arrived he hastily unlocked the door before shoving her inside. He closed, and double locked the door behind him. At this point, Sakura began to slowly back up, eyeing him warily.

"What are you d--"

He slapped her across the face, forcing her head to jerk to the side. The blow wasn't hard, though it was enough to make her cheek sting. More than anything, it had startled her.

She reached up and touched her cheek, a glare shaping her features. "What the--"

"Before you say anything," Kakashi began, purposefully talking over her. "That one was for leaving a party with a man while you were drunk."

She opened her mouth to unleash an bitch-fest, before he slapped her again, causing her to cry out. She clutched her cheek, bent over.

"And that one was for leaving with Shiranui Genma, of all men."

She remained there, bent over with her hand over the side of her face, hot tears beginning to seep from her eyes. She felt his hands on her shoulders and she instinctively jerked, before relaxing when he didn't deliver another blow. He lifted her chin and stared at her hard in the eyes.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" he asked, voice low but still harsh.

"No," she responded honestly, sniffling as she nursed her wounded cheek.

Kakashi scoffed and guided her to the couch, forcing her to sit down. He disappeared, but then returned momentarily with a single tissue, which he offered to her.

She snatched it, and wiped her nose.

"Sakura, do you know how stupid of of you it was to leave with him?" He demanded, standing over her.

Sakura crumpled the tissue in her fist, and glared up at him, her vision slightly blurred. "Did you drag me here only to lecture me on my mistake? As if I haven't realized by now what a shitty idea it was!"

Kakashi stood there, seething. "Sakura, you don't understand..."

"What don't I understand?" she demanded, standing. "You force me to come here, then you hit me and start admonishing me like I'm a little child. Like you're my father or something!"

His brow crinkled in anger. "Sakura..."

"What?"

"What did he do to you?"

"You know very well what happened. It's obvious what happened," Sakura responded with a hollow laugh.

She heard him hiss as he inhaled, and his fist collided with the wall very suddenly, causing her to jump in surprise.

"I ought to kill him..." Kakashi muttered, deathly quiet.

"It's pretty obvious here that it's not just his fault, Kakashi..." she began. "I could've said no... I could've fought him, you know that."

This seemed to cause another wave of anger to sweep over him, and for a moment he said nothing, just standing there with his fist still aimed against the wall.

"Kakashi... Please..." Sakura said.

He glanced over at her, and it was obvious that he was scowling. He lowered his arm and strode over to her, looming over her. He locked his gaze onto hers, and lightly brushed his thumb over the cheek that he had wounded.

"Kakashi, I better go. I've had a long day and I need to get home and eat, so--"

He kissed her, mask and all. Despite the prominent cotton barrier between them, Sakura felt her heartbeat pick up and start racing, and heat flooded to her head, sending her reeling. As soon as it happened, it seemed to end, for he pulled away and then released her altogether.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I guess I've been doing that a lot lately, huh?"

She gaped at him, eyes wide and still dewy from her tears. "Wha...Why...?"

He ran his hand through his thick, tousled hair, and avoided her gaze. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Kakashi..." she reached out and tugged on his shirt sleeve. "Please...Why did you..."

He turned, and glanced down at her, eyes hollow. "I'm sorry," he said for the third time.

"Don't apologize..." she murmured. "But why would you...." She struggled to say the word.

"Kiss you? I don't know." He looked away.

"No...Don't do this to me again..."

"What?"

"Just stealing a kiss from me and then proceeding to act as though it never happened. Last time you were drunk, so it was understandable but this...." She took a deep, shaky breath. "This time you weren't. So you have to..."

"Let's just say that I've been having many mental conflicts lately," he began in a low voice, and he began to meander around the room, hands clenched into fists at his side. "My very own student has become a woman, and an attractive one at that. I'm struggling with the fact that I am much older, and that I happen to still be her team captain, but it isn't enough for me to force myself to ignore how attractive you've become."

Sakura's heart was racing at full-speed, fluttering so fast and light that she reached up and pressed her hand over her breast, beginning to feel rather dizzy. She needed to sit down... She quickly looked behind her and collapsed onto the sofa.

"And then she goes off and sleeps with my colleague, and regrettably, my friend." At this point, Kakashi ceased his wanderings, standing with his back to her as he gazed out the window.

"Kakashi, I--"

"You what?" He didn't turn. "Have I made you uncomfortable already? I imagined that at this point I would've. It can't be helped."

"No, that's not..." Her heart fell slightly, and she swallowed. "This is... unexpected."

"And undeniably wrong, might I add for you." Now, he turned.

"Please, don't put words in my mouth," she tried to argue shakily. She clutched the sofa cushion beneath her, the pounding in her heart still much too steady. "What does this mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything," he denounced swiftly. "Just that you're an attractive woman now, and I often lose my graces when in the lonely presence of an attractive woman."

"So you think that that gives you the right to just go around kissing me at will?" Sakura jumped up again.

"I know very well that I have no right," he said, crossing towards her.

"And how does the Genma thing have to do with anything?!"

"I think I've essentially spelled it out for you at this point, Sakura," he enunciated coolly, standing over her once more. His fingers played absentmindedly with the tips of her hair.

"What, are you jealous?" she asked half-heartedly, throwing in a small laugh.

His silence and the way his warm eyes latched onto hers was enough of an answer. A second laugh died in her throat, and her lip trembled nervously.

Kakashi tugged down his mask, and instantly seemed to take notice of her breathless reaction. He leaned down and pressed the lightest of kisses to the edge of her mouth.

Sakura's eyes widened, and she promptly slapped him across the face.

He growled, seizing her wrist tightly. "What was that for?" he demanded.

"For being a pig!" Sakura shrieked. "What the hell IS this!? You claim you're attracted to me to the point that you want to kiss me at random, then you claim to be jealous that I went home with that piece of scum that night...I ....I just don't understand this, nor can I handle it right now." His grip gradually loosened, and she tore herself away, heading for the door.

"What is there to understand?" he snapped. "Why is it that women always have to understand things! That's how things get ruined, by people picking them apart and analyzing them so much!"

"It's necessary for me to understand because I am NOT just going to have myself get hurt again," Sakura snarled in the darkest voice she could muster. She unlocked the front door, and swung it open. "And having you behave so unprofessionally is not going to happen again."

With that, she took off, slamming the door behind her.

"Fuck," Kakashi cursed, clutching his head as he fell back onto the sofa.

**END CHAPTER 5!**


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